ARTSY FARTSY AVA

March 25, 2014

March 24, 2014

When it comes to weddings, I can be such a cry baby and the romantic side of me just gushes all over. May favourite part is seeing the bride walk down the aisle and how the guy just looks at her with so much passion and love. :) I haven't been to any wedding in the past years, none other than my civil wedding. That doesn't really count cos it was mine. What I'm talking about is me witnessing it. :)
And last Friday, I was finally able to attend my first wedding for 2014 and it was truly a beautiful and memorable one. I couldn't be any happier to given the chance to be a part of it. I guess if you follow me on Instagram, you would know that what I'm talking about is the special day of Yael and Karylle.♥

The garden reception was held at the beautiful Angel Fields Nature Sanctuary in Tagaytay. I loved the whole set up of the place. Every table was filled with colourful flowers and the ceiling had these cute lanterns hanging. Since it was held at a garden, everyone was told to be in Garden Formal and #OOTD ready!

Fortunately, I recently got a pretty dress from PaperDolls that was perfect for the occasion. Too bad I forgot to bring heels, so I was stuck with my flats. Luckily, it was white, so it kinda matched. >_<
I wasn't invited at the church, so I didn't see the vows. But they did play via AVP it during the reception and while I was watching every clip, I could feel my tears building up. I wanted to cry! Happy tears to be exact. I've been with Karylle for two years and finally seeing her tie the knot just gives me so much joy inside. She's one of the most kind hearted people I know and she deserves all the love and happiness. :)

Despite the many guests that were saying goodbye, talking and having photo ops with her, I knew I just had to be patient and wait. I couldn't let the day pass me by without having an obligatory photo with the gorgeous and blooming bride!:) I love love love her all-lace gown by the talented Francis Libiran!:)

I had three dates to this wedding; My Tey Keigh Jalbuena, who I owe a lot to! I wouldn't have made it to this wonderful wedding with you! Thank you for letting us ride with you!^_^ and I also had my boys with me. :)

I know I've said "beautiful" so many times in this post, but it really was a beautiful wedding. I now understand better what kind of love Yael and Karylle have for each other and why they are perfect together.

Thank you so much again, K for letting me be a part of this. I will always treasure this memory. :) For now, I am wishing you all the best in your married life. May you be filled with so much happiness and love! I'm sure you'll make a great wife! God Bless! Love you! Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Yuzon!♥

Mabuhay ang bagong kasal!!!

March 23, 2014

Whenever people say Tonkatsu, I can count with my two fingers which restaurants I would only eat at. The first one, I guess is already pretty obvious. If you read my blog or check my Instagram feeds a lot, then you would know. ;) For the second resto, I just recently discovered it last week through a food tasting invitation and me oh my! It's one of the best I've ever tasted. Hence, I now have two favourite katsu place to dine at. :)

Kimukatsu is has two branches so far; one in Shangri-La Mall and the other I went to was at Century City Mall, just right beside Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen.

The place has a very minimalist feel to it, with the black interiors and multiple lantern-like lights hanging above the ceiling. But what got my attention the most was their walls filled with Cherry blossoms. Too cute!

For the colourful person in me, the ambiance was a bit sad. But if you want something clean, cozy and relaxing, you'd definitely like it here.
For those of you who are not familiar with Kimukatsu, they are famous for their 25-layered select pork cutlet. The portion of pork loin is selected and sliced into 1mm sheets of pork, then stacked together and covered with raw bread crumbs.
Since I was unaware of what Kimukatsu had to offer, I was fortunate enough to be guided by their Chef who came all the way from Japan. Arigatō Chef Bob!^_^ I wouldn't have known how to start and what to order without your help!

While browsing their menu, I noticed that they had a lot of stuff to offer. From appetisers, main course to dessert. Even my little one Asher was so enticed by the choices. :)

Kimutaku (white bowl), Potato Salad (black plate) & Agedashi Tofu (black bowl) :)

For our side menu, we were given the following:

Kimutaku- Php 110

This is Kimchi flavoured pickles. It isn't as spicy as Kimchi per se, so I quite enjoyed this. Strong flavours and I like the crunch of the pickles.

Potato Salad- Php 130

It's basically potato salad, but it has really tender bacon with it. I loved it!

Agedashi Tofu- Php 180

The tofu is so soft and the sauce has a sweet-salty taste to it. The friends, baby Asher and I loved this a lot. It was the favourite among the three side dishes. All of us kept getting more. A must order when you visit Kimukatsu. :)

Next up, we had cabbage and miso soup. The cabbage is unlimited so you can ask your server for a refill anytime. As for the miso soup, they have a choice between red and white. When I asked Chef Bob the difference, the red basically is stronger than the white one. I usually have the white, so I opted for the red this time. It was pretty good! This is also refillable and the great thing about it is, you can ask for white or red. Doesn't matter what you had at first. :) Best of both!

Aside from the usual sesame seed sauce that you grind, they have this sauce plate that you can put all their sauces in, so you get to try which you like best. :)

And now for the main course!

Notice the pierced katsu? This is something that was new to me, because for one, I'm only used to cheese flavoured tonkatsu. I never knew that you could have more than just one! It was also timely that I brought with me two of my best friends cos Kimukatsu offers assorted sets. Depending on the size of your party, you can choose a suitable assorted set, and try multiple flavours with your friends and family.

We had the 4 flavour Kimukatsu set and the price of this is Php 1,500 and includes 3 rice set.

Cheese- Php 390 /130g (for single order)

If you love cheese, then you must try this! It's one of their best sellers and I do not doubt why! It has savoury cheddar cheese oozing from the middle and it just melts in your mouth.

Negi Shio- Php 380/130g (for single order)

A refreshing flavour of marinated spring onion in every bite! This is my favourite out of the four. :)

Plain- Php 380/130g (for single order)

This is their standard Kimukatsu and I think this is one of the best to try it's your first time at Kimukatsu, along with the cheese flavour!

Garlic- Php 380/130g (for single order)

Freshly minced garlic in every bite your take. Made for all the garlic lovers in the world. I wasn't really into this, because I'm not a big fan of garlic. Even when I was just about to put it in my mouth, I could already taste the garlic. But I can say it's good if you want a strong hit.

Negi Shio Katsu

Now this is where the 25 layers of mille-feuille katsu falls in! Just look at those layers! The flavours, whether they be cheese or negi shio are in the middle to have an equal taste of the Katsu. It was love at first bite! It was so juicy and flavourful. But not sinful! You'll be happy to know that Kimukatsu uses high-grade canola oil. A healthy way to fry your food!
The other flavours I can't wait to try are Black pepper, Ume Shiso, and Yuzu Pepper.

The perfect counterpart to every katsu is rice. The sweet japanese rice of Kimukatsu is not only white, but it's shiny! It's like watching an anime cooking show, when they put out the rice, it's gleaming! My photo does not give it much justice. Sorry about that, rice!>_<

Menchi (minced) set- Php 380/130g

For the intense meat lovers out there, I suggest you try their Menchi set out. This is their home-made version of minced katsu, which includes pork, beef and onion. I say intense, because you can really taste the essence of the pork and beef. I'm not a big fan of that. To be honest, this is my least favourite.
For the seafood lovers…

Assorted Seafood Set- Php 480

You have 1 Ebi, 2 Oyster and 1 Scallop. This comes with creamy tartar sauce that complements the fried seafood. I liked this. I think my mom and grandmother who both love seafood would enjoy this.

Finally to cap it off, japanese dessert! I actually commend Chef Bob for picking these two, because I'm normally used to green tea ice cream, so it was nice to try something new.

Kurogoma Pudding- Php 110

This scared me. The look of it or I think because it was so black, kinda terrified me. But for the sake of taste testing, I just had to try it. I didn't want to judge a book by its cover! Or in this case, dessert. The black sauce covering the white pudding is sesame and it had a nutty taste to it. It wasn't bad at all. :)

Japanese Panna Cotta- Php 110

THE BEST!!! It was too foreign to me at first, but when I tried it out, I wanted more more more! The Kinako (roasted soy bean flour) really goes well with the pudding. You can also get the distinct taste of sesame. It's totally different from the Italian version. I absolutely loved this!

My friends and I left Kimukatsu with a happy face and tummy. We were already talking about coming back again before we could even exit the restaurant. :) Definitely your money and bellies worth!

For more information about Kimukatsu, visit the following:

http://kimukatsu.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kimukatsuph

https://twitter.com/kimukatsuph